What's happening on UAT's campus- A blog published by UAT Students.

In the spirit of Black Hat/DEFCON week, I’ve decided to put together a list of important tips that users of any electronic devices should be wary of when it comes to their personal security. After all, nothing is worse than the possibility that all of your information could be stolen and used against you.

So, here is my list of cyber security tips:

1. Always be aware of the possibility that you can be a target. It is not uncommon for users such as ourselves to say “It’ll never happen to me.” But that is a risky way of thinking. If you carelessly leave your device unprotected, someone with ill intentions could end up targeting your device, and ruining it in the process. It's better to be safe than sorry.
2. Make and memorize strong passwords. It is unfortunate when people do not realize how important a strong password really is. If you have a weak password, odds are that someone else will figure it out immediately. So protect yourself by making strong passwords and memorizing them. If you risk writing it out, then someone else can use it, giving them unwanted access and resulting in something bad.
3. Lock then leave. Every time you leave your device unattended, make sure to lock it. While it may seem tedious to constantly unlock it every time you return, malicious hackers only need a few seconds to corrupt your device. So please, lock then leave.
4. What should be common knowledge but still good to mention is to never click on any unexpected or suspicious attachments or links in your email. You never know if these links will take you to bad domains and give you a virus.
5. When it comes to anything money sensitive, such as online banking and shopping, please use your own device. Even if you are at a friend’s house, it is unwise to use your account information on any device other than your own. If your friend’s computer gets compromised, your information could be too.

Those are just a few basic tips that we should all follow, for the safety of our information and for the overall betterment of our technology. I hope they are helpful and result in successful defense against cyber attacks.